”You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”- Sen. John Kerry
I don’t normally comment on political figures, but in this case I take exception. The comment made by Senator John Kerry is a badly botched joke, but it is also much more than that. It’s ignorance-speak.
This kind of statement, in many paraphrased forms, was prevalent in the 1960s and 70s as the Vietnam War dragged on and on, and the draft was picking out young people for active duty day after day. It was true that if you stayed in school you could avoid the draft. It had nothing to do with getting smart, however, but only being smart to avoid winding up in Vietnam. It is not true today.
There is no draft … yet. Young people volunteer and join up to serve, and some wind up in Iraq. It has nothing to do with how “smart” one is. For some, it is a manner in which one can obtain a job and income, which is why many of us unprivileged sorts find Kerry’s comment insulting.
While it is true that for some it may be the only source of income for the present time, it still has nothing to do with staying in school to avoid military service. Studying hard in school does not mean that you will do well later. And it does not mean that you will not end up in Iraq.
Also, some need a paycheck right now to support themselves or family and cannot wait through, or afford, four years of education. So the military becomes an immediate venue for financial assistance.
Considering today’s current military program, it is archaic to equate staying in school as a means to evade military service … unless Kerry is telling us that a military draft looms in the near future. However, even then the comment makes little sense because the new draft conditions have eliminated, for the most part, student deferment from the draft.
Kerry’s reference to An Army of Dumb makes no sense. It’s just not true. In an attempt either to get a laugh or make a point, he screwed up. Like most of our politicians today, he has led a relatively pampered life with little experience in having to struggle to put food on the table.
When politicians make dumb remarks like the recent faux pas by Kerry, it should impress the youth of today to stay in school if for no other reason than to gain knowledge and insight (in Kerry’s words, “Make an effort to be smart”) in order to run for future office and replace these dummies. Then we can once again have a country we can be proud of with leadership that is in touch with the people.